Quick and fast! The workers are good at what they do. Just make sure you do your part by sorting all your recycling for a fast and speedy process. They also offer drop off and get paid online. You have to sign up for an account through them. They provide business cards with QR codes to sign up. Pretty simple procedure if you're in a hurry. read more

Super friendly, VERY fast. As of 11/01/2025, due to construction, they have moved into the edge of the safeway parking closest to the ongoing construction. Came on a saturday at 3:30pm. Out in a 5 minutes. Small line formed after I left. read more

Great place to recycle your CA CRV containers In San Mateo, CA. J &D Recycling employees are very friendly and helpful and very efficient. Come with your presorted CRV containers. They have a drop off method to that you have to sign up. You receive bags with a QR code that you can link to an account for online reimbursement. All you need to do is to drop of the bag and you get paid after they processed the bag. read more

Let's be honest, I only use J&D because it's the last viable spot in the area. But it's worth the trip! I am an aluminum can evangelist and tend to save my stash until I hit "paydirt"--usually an easy $70 to $80 payout. Yes, they pay by weight, but if you're a dedicated CRV collector like me, the money is fair. The staff here deserves a raise; they are lightning fast and move mountains of cans and bottles without making you feel guilty about your recycling addiction. I also saw they have a new drop-off feature using an app and a QR-coded bag, so you can dump your hoard and run. I need the immediate gratification of cash, so I haven't tried it yet, but it's a brilliant way to save time! If you're willing to drive a little further, this is where you reclaim your money and your garage space. read more

Quick service! The employees were friendly. They are open so early in the morning, which makes it very convenient.

Very efficient even when busy, still best to go early rather than late staff is friendly and helpful

It's just a regular old recycling place but at least they still pay you for your recyclables. The guys are pretty nice and willing to help with the entire process. Quick in and out and off street parking as well read more

Great spot for recycling in the peninsula! The line is never super long, but even when there are a few people in line the workers help expedite the wait. The parking is limited but if you have a pick up truck you can easily maneuver in and out of their parking spots in front of the cashier window. They show you the weight of what you bring in before providing the paperwork and money! Won't be coming here for a while as we have a water filtration system at home. But, I recommend this place for others looking for a recycling place that doesn't have a 10-15 person line! read more

Highly recommend J & D Recycling. Both gentlemen are friendly and helpful. The new location is easy to find as well.

It's been a while since I have been here but this most recent visit I thought the employees processing the recycling were rude. They made a lot of gestures at me to essentially say to not touch anything and wait for them. There should be a sign with instructions to help smooth the process. I get that they want to be efficient, but there is a difference between being rude and being efficient read more

Very rude employees. I look at their website, there are cardboards in the pictures. So I assume they accept cardboards. I even called beforehand, but no one answered the phone for 10 mins. So i decided to visit them. After I arrived, an employee comes out of no where and start inspecting my cars. They saw the cardboards in my car and started waving fingers right in front of my face and yelling "no" repeatedly. I was trying to walk to the window to ask more questions. He blocked me and keeps waving fingers on my face. I tried to explain but they don't seem to understand English. The behavior is very close to human assault. I've never seen anyone more rude. Truly horrible place read more

5 stars for the hours and days of operation alone! They Open 7 days a week and longer than most other recycling places in the area. What's good about J &D is that they show you a printout of the weight of each item you're recycling. They're pretty speedy and will get you in and out. If it's your first time, they will collect your info so you'll be in the system. read more

J & D Recycling - As of February 2023 - Recycling Center Near Me - San Mateo, California

This place is a total scam, always weigh your cans and bottles where customers can't see, recently I brought on 1 and 3/4 bags of sqaushed aluminum cans and 4 bags of Costco small water bottles also squashed. They gave me around 28.00 when it should have even easily mid 40's. When questioning them they tell you that there is a place in San Francisco I could ho to instead of just being fair here where I live in San Mateo. read more

This place has been building a reputation for being how do i say it "Unfair" i would just call it ripping people off. I have gone a few times and know for a fact that the 40$ they offered me for the same thing i was paid 240$ down at the place in SSF was because they just figured i didnt know any better. They will scam you if they can is what i gather and its really to bad because i would for sure rather support a local business but they are 3 for 3 in getting over on me so i am no longer going to this place. Obviously they are paying yelp to get rid of bad reviews because no way would they be at 4 stars so i am simply letting you know if you are expecting to be treated fairly avoid this place. read more

This location is quite hard to find but the employees were very helpful when putting the water bottles in bins. Although they don't separate the juice bottles from the usual water bottles, I'm just glad that they were able to accept them instead of tossing them is regular trash cans. As far as value, I'm not sure if they pay out that well compare to the other locations. read more

I have been going to J & D Recycling for years. After my recent experience there today, I will be taking my business elsewhere. The woman that works inside the office is extremely rude. When asked if I had been there before, I said yes, but she called me a "liar." She said three more times, "you're a liar, you've never been here before." Is this the kind of customer service you think is okay? Really disappointing. Take your business elsewhere, don't waste your time! read more

J & D has recently moved to the other side closer to ampm, more parking ! Service is quick , please PAY ATTENTION and BE PATIENT. Its my go to place for recycling . I have never had an issue here . Thanks you! read more

California has a law as of 2024 to charge $.10 CRV per wine bottle. This I'm charge is for EVERY BOTTLE whether or not CRV is printed on the labels. The attendant today rejected many of our bottles citing the excuse that they did not have CRV printed on them. I checked with the stores we bought these wines ftom. They said that California law requires them to charge the redemption fee on every bottle. Therefore, J & D is cheating people! read more

Well... so, I had an old bent aluminum ladder, a heavy aftermarket stainless steel header for a Toyota, an old rusty stepladder, and a few other metal pieces... really just wanted to get rid of these. So I went to J&D. Was greeted by one staffer, put everything on the side of the building (parking/unloading is a bit of a disaster). Waited. Then another staffer moved the stuff into the building, onto scales. Waited. Then the second staffer asked for my ID. Okay. I had read in the reviews here on yelp that there'd be a lot of formalities if the payout was more than $40 - maybe that's why? Was told to go outside. Okay. One of the staffers came out and took a picture of me? Why? Waited. At this point I thought about just leaving - this had taken an easy 20min+ so far. But okay. Waited. Then the cashier called me. Had two printed out pages. Put a stamp on one. Gave me an ink pad?!? To put my fingerprint on the stamp??? Really. Wow! Then he counted out the money!!! All... wait... $3.72 of it! Haha... I mean, I really wanted to drop the stuff off, so okay... but... so many questions. Was that really the fair price for the metals? Assuming a reasonable margin, there was a whole lot of admin overhead incurred for it? Well, in any case, I did get rid of what was garbage to me - and which hopefully now is going to be recycled, reutilized. Thanks, I guess. For the experience. read more

TLDR; they make frequent mistakes and will often give you the wrong amount back. Have an idea of how much you are supposed to be paid before you go. I've been here a few times to get my CRV refunds and twice now they've made mistakes. I always do a piece count as I don't bring much (under 25 for each range). My first time there, they said my apple cider glass container did not count for CRV despite the label marked as such and having been bought at Safeway (Safeway branded). The second time they made a mistake is today. I came about 5 min before they closed and my count total was less than 26 items. It takes less than 1-2 min to count and it was pretty straightforward except for the two scrap glass bottles. We argued back and forth over one item and I ended taking one container back but they took the scrap glass bottles without paying me. As they were in a rush to close, I didn't check over what they charged and it didn't occur to me until I was driving and doing the math in my head that I was shortchanged. I highly recommend you know how much you are paid so they don't cheat you out of your deposits. Or you can go to CVS and get your deposits back from there. This will probably be the last time I go. Not even scrap glass or metal is worth the cheat I experienced. Lastly, parking is difficult around there. read more

just to start off always watch them when there weighing out your stuff . so far they got me twice with giving me less when you shouldn't have to watch , exspecting they should honor there job . And just from my experience it takes me out of self just to be there but unfortunately there the ONLY place around that area that recycles . So now I just watch . Wish I could give a better review but I can't lie . read more

I have going to J & D Recycling since last November and they give excellent service and would tell anyone to go there. Joe Nocito read more

Do not redeem your plastic or cans for cash at this business. Redemption pricing is extremely low and/or weight scale is extremely incorrect. I brought multiple large bags of plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Cash received was very low for the large amount of items delivered. Check out pricing elsewhere to receive a fair and accurate payment for your recycling. read more

7/24/20: This was my first time here and it was definitely a five star experience. I used to go to the recycling center at the Safeway parking lot in Millbrae, however since they closed I decided to give this place a try. I came prepared with a book not knowing what to expect for a wait time as I have been used to waiting at recycling center for an hour. This place is amazing as they have fast and efficient service. There are many workers who are willing to help you the minute you open up your trunk or car door to the sorting of your cans/bottles. I had 3 large garbage cans full and the whole process from unloading to sorting to weighting to receiving my payment took no more than 5 minutes. The workers were all wearing masks. Will definitely be back again! read more

One thing I've noticed as a result of eternally working from home during this pandemic is the amount of drink bottles that we wind up going through as a household. Instead of chucking them into the recycle bin, we decided to start amassing them to sell to get back some of our CRV money (daddy needs a new pair of shoes!). Unfortunately with both China imposing strict limits on the type of recyclables that they will receive as well as the sudden pandemic hitting and temporarily (or permanently) shuttering the remaining recycling centers, we had a difficult time finding a nearby recycler who was still open. Fortunately however, we discovered that San Mateo still had 1 recycler still operating, and that recycler was J&D Recycling. Upon arriving, I was immediately helped by one of the workers whom I handed all my recyclables to. I had thought that I did a pretty good job of separating my recyclables, but it turns out that in addition to sorting by type (plastic, glass, aluminum), and size (big vs small bottles), you also need to sort by plastic type (PET vs HDPE). Fortunately they recognized that this was my first time and offered to help me. However they do ask that you do the sorting at home due to space restrictions. The hauling and weighing of your recyclables is done quickly and efficiently, however I did have to stand around for 15mins waiting for the guy at the front desk to acknowledge me and process my paperwork. For first timers, they will ask for your ID to put you in the system. I found this a bit odd as recyclers I've been to in the past with my parents never asked them for their ID. While I was waiting, another customer arrived and got in line behind me. He told me that the 15min wait was unusual as they are usually really quick to get you paid and on your way. However he did tell me that there not being a line was also unusual, as normally there is a very long line of people waiting, especially on the weekends. 3 big bags of recyclables turned in and $30 later, I was out and on my way home. Free parking is available on the street, but very limited. There are also about 2 spots on the actual facility that you can pull into if they're available. Come during the weekday if possible like me to avoid the crowds. read more

The price is lower than other places, small and not really helpful. Brought bags in one day, the workers there weren't helpful and the price was unclear. read more

Nice people and quick service. They make things very easy when you are unloading your car.

Our first time there and they were super helpful. Went on a Saturday, supposedly their busiest day but there were plenty of people helping out so the process was quick and efficient. read more

We always come here to recycle our Redeemable items. Usually, there is someone to help out. The day I went a few days ago, there wasn't much help. I do hope it was because I went at a different time of the day, because before I could always count on help when needed. read more

Fast and efficient. Easy way to recycle my cans and bottles. Parking is a bit limited when it's busy, but the cars move pretty quickly so won't be much of a wait. read more

I just went to J & D recycling in San Mateo CA on Amphlett.....they are breaking the law! I had multiple bags of cans to recycle and I wanted the count by 50 cans... I understand there is a limit of the 50 cans per transaction... however the law states that a person can get back in line and have another transaction actually multiple transactions up to 700 cans per day. The operators would not let me do that!!!!! I understand they make more money per lb (less than 1 cents per can) versus paying out 5 cents per can. The state of CA law says multiple transactions can occur in a day---- just cannot exceed 700 total cans in a day. read more

it was my first time here at J&D Recycling. There was a bunch of workers around me that didn't say anything to me or let me know that I couldn't separate my own bottles and cans. The lady at the front desk that gave me my money I think her name is Arie , gave me the most disrespectful manner here. Telling me next time I come here I cant separate ky own stuff and i told her how was I suppose to know. with hellllaa attitude. asked her if she was having a bad day and it just escalated from there. She was so quick to give my bottles and cans back just because I asked her if she was having a bad day. like lady relax it's my first time here. then I asked for the manager number and she throws the business card at me. i came with a 5 tubs full of bottle and cans and only got paid out 23.00 like that's total bullshit. read more

Pretty good as far as recycling centers go. Went here on a Saturday, with lots of folks arriving and traffic sometimes into the street. Leave time for finding parking in the neighborhood. Things are orderly here. The line can get a little long, but people are nice enough. It can get noisy with all the things being dumped, especially glass bottles. Noticed a decent number of families with kids dropping off big bags of stuff, seemed like regular customers. This place is the only one of its kind in the peninsula, very happy that its here. read more

These guys are busy, there are lots of people, but they get the job done. I didn't have to wait long to get my 12 bags of cans to be weighed and paid. There's only street parking and about three spaces in front of their shop. So I have patience, it'll go faster than you think. These guys really hustle. read more

Super easy in and out. I was done in less than 10 minutes (this was in the middle of the day on a weekday). The guys in the back helped me with all my bags of cans and bottles. The attendant was friendly as well. I think I'll come back here again. read more

The crew here is very nice! Definitely a breath of fresh air compared to many other recycling places where they're rather grumpy. We were in and out in less than 5 minutes. Everyone was wearing their masks and they were ready to help the moment we arrived. If you have any questions, they're happy to answer. I also felt that the payout was actually higher than other places so that was a bonus :) read more

J&D Recycling is efficient and reliable. They have a straightforward process of checking/accepting your recyclables, weighing, then passing off to the cashier to provide the CRV payment. They don't run out of money or close early like some other places I've been to in the past, lol. I will continue to drop off my CRV recyclables here! read more

Found a great place to return cans and bottles. First time there and got $7.50 back. Haven't returned bottles for cash since I was in elementary school. It's such an easy way to get money back especially since we are essentially paying for it at the grocery store. We didn't save our wine bottles, but certainly will next time. They are fast, efficient. Make sure you separate your aluminum (you know, your la croix bottles), glass and plastics. They also take these three types of recycling in any form. One group was returning a bunch of wiring cables. Free money. Why not? read more

I have been here for several times. Their staff are very nice and efficient. Just be caution, the parking is very limited and the line could be long during busy time. read more

They ask for too much information to recycle and they pay to little and the customer service is horrible. Had some scrap cables to recycle and they asked for my ID which is Normal, but taking a picture of me and the car license plate seams excessive. After doing all that they expect you to take less for the copper! They pay HALF what Aaron Metals does for such a hassle. And they don't even pay you out that day too. They also want to mail you a check for the scrap which is ridiculous, what happens if it gets lost then you have to wait a few weeks to get a new one! Don't waste your time with these people read more